2006-02-21

bloomington: New LRT Station

At the urging of the city of Bloomington, Metro Transit will build a 34th Avenue station at American Boulevard. The station was dropped from initial construction for lack of money, but Bloomington thinks it will complement its development plans. Estimated cost: $2 million.

It's a good idea, of course, because it improves the impact of the LRT as a development tool down on the South end of the line.

What's more, the fact that they're able to so easily add a station at this point is part of the LRT funding strategy. It's something like "point of entry" fundraising, where you ask for something limited and then add more once your population is more comfortable with the relationship.

Let's hope that happens, too, for the NorthStar line. They couldn't add a Northeast Minneapolis stop in their current proposal (there are no stops between Fridley and downtown), but perhaps they'll be able to add one in a few years after the line opens up.

2 comments:

it was planned, but never built. basically all that's missing is the concrete. the infrustructure's there. you can see it, the curb is the right size, and there's those little loops set up. it's dark territory so they don't even need signals.

personally, i think it's a bad place for a station. it's maybe 100 yards from bloomington central station. that doesn't say much about how far city planners thing downtown bloomingtonites will be willing to walk. there are already too many stations on the south end. it really slows things up for people trying to get to the mall.

just because somebody's willing to pay for it doesn't mean it should be built.